Samuel Ogazi makes history as fourth Nigerian named Bowerman Award finalist
Nigerian sprint star Samuel Ogazi has become just the fourth athlete from the country to reach the final of the prestigious Bowerman Award after being named among the three finalists for collegiate track and field's highest individual honour.
The University of Alabama quarter-miler was unveiled as a finalist by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday, capping a remarkable season that saw him dominate the NCAA and rewrite the record books.
Ogazi enjoyed one of the finest 400m campaigns in collegiate history, winning both the NCAA Division I indoor and outdoor titles. His standout performance came at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, where he stormed to victory in a record-breaking 43.38 seconds, eclipsing Michael Norman's previous collegiate record of 43.61 set in 2018.
The stunning performance made the Kaduna-born athlete the fastest 400m runner in NCAA history. It was also the fourth time he lowered Nigeria's national record in 2026, having previously clocked 44.02, 43.95 and 43.82 seconds. In the process, he became the first collegiate athlete to record multiple sub-44-second performances in the event.
Earlier in the indoor season, the 21-year-old claimed the NCAA indoor title in 44.57 seconds, equalling the recognised indoor world record and moving into a tie for third on the all-time world indoor list.
His outstanding performances have also made him the first male athlete in the history of the University of Alabama to reach the Bowerman Award final.
Ogazi joins an elite list of Nigerians who have previously reached the final stage of the award—Blessing Okagbare (2010), Divine Oduduru (2019) and Ezekiel Nathaniel (2025).
He will battle for this year's honour against New Mexico distance runner Habtom Samuel and Auburn hurdler Ja'Kobe Tharp, with the winner set to be announced during the USTFCCCA Convention in Grapevine, Texas, on December 17.
Habtom Samuel heads into the contest after an unbeaten collegiate season in which he won all 13 races against NCAA opposition and claimed the 5,000m and 10,000m national titles while lowering his own collegiate record in the 5,000m to 12:57.22.
Tharp also enjoyed a historic campaign, breaking Aries Merritt's world record in the 110m hurdles with a blistering 12.75 seconds in the NCAA Outdoor Championships semi-finals before winning the national title in 12.90 seconds. He had earlier set a collegiate record of 7.32 seconds in the 60m hurdles indoors.
Ogazi's nomination highlights an exceptional year for Nigerian athletes in the American collegiate system. Auburn's Kanyinsola Ajayi captured the NCAA indoor 60m and outdoor 100m titles, equalling Christian Coleman's collegiate record of 6.45 seconds in the 60m before breaking Olusoji Fasuba's long-standing Nigerian 100m record with a wind-legal 9.84 seconds.
Texas A&M's Chinecherem Nnamdi also made history by winning the NCAA javelin title with a season-best throw of 84.68m, while Texas Tech high jumper Temitope Adeshina completed an unbeaten season by winning both the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles, although she narrowly missed out on a place among the women's Bowerman finalists.
Having already announced his decision to turn professional, Ogazi now stands on the brink of another historic achievement as he bids to become the first Nigerian to win the Bowerman Award.
Join the Savid News channel on WhatsApp:
